


Nowhere to run

by CrazyPinkPenguin



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of attempted rape, Sam and Dean kicking ass, slight torture scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 16:28:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2779907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyPinkPenguin/pseuds/CrazyPinkPenguin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I know a hunter who knows a hunter, and…" Bobby paused, sighed and continued, "Rumor has it, Kerry O'Conner's been caught." </p><p>Book 3 in my 'NTUE' series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nowhere to run

**Author's Note:**

> Here's book 3. Sorry it's wayyy late. I actually have completed this and posted it all on fanfiction.net and somehow forgot to post it on here. Oops. Sorry!
> 
> I have no beta for this and hate proof-reading so I'm also sorry for any mistakes you'll most likely come across xD.

 

_Three months ago_

_Kerry felt like she was dreaming as she approached the makeshift cross which stood out of place in the middle of a woodland area. There was no noise; not even the sound of trees swaying in the wind. Or maybe there was but she couldn't hear it because all of her attention was on that single cross._

_A wonderful, strong, unforgettable man laid underneath the dirt; A man who died simply because he couldn't live without his younger brother. That man was a hero even though most people didn't know of him. That man was Dean Winchester._

_Her legs felt like jelly as her toes touched the edge of the overturned dirt, the outline to the makeshift grave. The rest of the ground was covered in grass, untouched. A single tear dropped down her cheek as she knelt down and placed a bottle of whiskey next to the grave, along with Dean's favorite cheese burger, from the same place where they'd all eaten from on their first hunt together._

_He'd loved those cheese burgers. Had eaten them for every damn meal._

_A smile touched her lips as she remembered how he used to scoff them down. She didn't know if it was his favorite meal but it was the only one she knew of, and if he was alive, she knew that he'd appreciate the thought._

_Her mouth opened as she steadied herself on her knees, eyes on the cross. There was so much she wanted to say but now she was here, nothing was coming to her. Her throat started to ache as she held back a sob, the grief quickly becoming overwhelming._

" _Dean." She managed to croak out eventually with a loud sniffle. She tried to continue but found herself unable to speak around the tightness in her throat._

 _She took a moment to cry, to let out her feelings, to let herself_ feel _. Her sobs were loud, and felt like glass every time they ripped through her throat. It took a while for her to finally calm down but with a few deep breaths, she finally managed it._

" _I-" her words caught in her throat and she took another deep breath before continuing. "Sam's not answering his damn phone. Bobby won't answer his door, but I know he's in there." He's probably too overcome with grief to move, she thought to herself sadly. "Only found out 'cause I heard two hunters talking." Luckily, they didn't know who she was and she managed to sleep out unnoticed by not before she caught what they were talking about. "Said that Dean Winchester had died. I didn't believe it at first."_

_She stared off into the distance absently. "You're such a BAMF that it didn't seem possible," she chuckled at her wording and wiped the moisture off her cheek. She smiled sadly, looking back at the cross. "Guess no one is invincible though."_

_She bit at her lip for a moment. "I'll try and find Sammy. Look out for him for you," placing three fingers onto her lips, she kissed them before placing her hand on his cross. "I'm gonna miss you, Dean Winchester." She whispered, lip wobbling as more tears fell. She pulled herself up and let her eyes wash over his grave one last time before walking away._

_She never did manage to find Sam._

_One week ago_

_Kerry glanced out of the motel window and sighed when the phone once again went to voicemail. "Hey, Sammy," she finally decided to leave a message, realizing that calling and hoping he'd answer was getting her nowhere. "I, uh, I'm not really sure why I'm calling," she admitted, stepping away from the window and heading over to the motel bed where she sat down heavily._

_She licked her lips. "The hunters, the ones that are after me…they're close." Her voice broke slightly. She was terrified. She'd never had so many close encounters with them before and she wasn't sure whether it was because she was getting sloppy, or because they were getting better. It was only a matter of time now before they found her. "I-I'm not asking for help," she frowned, hoping that it wasn't coming across that way. "I don't want to involve you in this," Dean would probably kill me if I did, she mentally added._

_She bit her lip for a moment before continuing. "I guess, what I'm calling for…is to say…" she hesitated, not really knowing_ what _exactly she was trying to say. "If they find me, and I don't see you again…I'm sorry." Tears tickled her nose and she tried her hardest to push them away but she was so damn exhausted._

_Physically, emotionally…_

_She took a deep breath, her voice a painful croak. "I cared about you and your brother so damn much and I know I hurt you but please believe me when I-" her throat ached and she tried to swallow to get rid of it but it didn't work. "Believe me when I tell you that it wasn't an act. I was your friend, and I had a major crush on your brother," she added with a small smile which soon disappeared. "I gotta go. I just…yeah, I just wanted to say I'm sorry." She cleared her throat and swallowed thickly. "Goodbye, Sammy." She hung up and threw her phone on the bed._

_A shadow sweeping past the underneath of her room door made her look up, and she froze, realizing that once again, it was time to run. "For fuck sake."_

_Present time_

Her breath was coming out in harsh pants as she rushed through the dark street. She didn't have time to make it to her car, and she had to leave her weapons in the motel room.

This was the first time she'd found herself completely defenceless and it scared the shit out of her. So she did the only thing she could do; she ran, and ran, almost tripping up curbs and trying to lose them by heading into alleyways.

It wasn't working as good as she hoped because she could still hear their footsteps behind her and their taunting shouts. They were close.

And when she came to the end of the alley she was in, she knew she was screwed.

A wire fence stood in front of her. She knew if she had a few minutes, she would be able to struggle over it but she only had a few seconds.

Her hands and feet barely touched the metal before a hand was yanking at the back of her jacket and forcefully pulling her back.

She tried to hold on and climb up but the yanking was forcing the wire into her skin and she found herself slowly slipping until she felt weightless and then her back hit the hard ground with a thud.

She coughed, trying to get the air back into her lungs as the men laughed and cheered around her, there words barely registering as she attempted to get herself together over the sound of blood pounding in her ears.

She was so screwed.

Attempting to roll onto her front and get onto her knees was getting her nowhere because the men just chuckled harder and kicked her onto her back once more.

The mixture of pain and the sensation of trying to breathe was increasing frustrated, especially as it crumbled her attempts of escape. It didn't stop her from trying though and her frustration only got worse as they stopped every attempt.

In the end, one of the men grabbed her hair and forced her up onto her knees. Jacob knelt down in front of her with a cruel smile on his face, and she briefly realized that it meant Pete was the one holding her hair.

"You've given us a helluva run, girly," Jacob told her, almost sounding impressed. "But it's over now. Might as well as give up and accept your fate."

"No!" she spat out through gritted teeth. Pain shot through her scalp as her hair was held even tighter. "Fuck off."

Jacob tutted and pulled out a pair of handcuffs from the back of his pants. He dangled them in front of her face tauntingly before lowering his hands and gripping one of her wrists.

She fought – fuck, did she fought – but it was no use; they were two strong men and she was just a little woman, and an exhausted one at that. In the end Pete pushed her onto her front and they both forced her hands behind her back while she face-planted the pavement.

"Help!" she tried screaming out, struggling against them as a  _clink_  filled the air. The cuffs were on. "Someone, please!-" her cry was cut off as she was pulled back up and a piece of cloth was forced into her mouth, muffling her words. She winced as it was tied around her head tightly.

"We need to move. Someone would have heard that," Pete mumbled, pulling Kerry up so she was standing. He flipped a knife out of the back of his pants and held it to her back. "I'll take her to the park. You bring the car 'round." He ordered as they started to move.

All Kerry had to do was let out a small whimper and the knife was pressing into her skin, a warning not to make any sound and draw attention to them. She got the message loud and clear.

Kerry let her shoulders drop in defeat as Jacob broke away from them, heading for the car while Pete guided her to the park. The only chance she had at being saved was if Sammy checked his voicemail. And even if he did, he would have no idea where she was.

She was all alone on this one.


	2. Nowhere to run

Kerry's head hurts when she comes to; she wasn't even sure when they had knocked her out but she assumed they had. It's not like she would have just casually fallen asleep on the ride to wherever the hell they had been taken her, not to mention there was a pulsing pain in one side of her head which felt like it had swollen to the side of a balloon.

She noticed that her hands and feet are tied and for a moment, she pretended that she's just woken up when Sam and Dean first discovered her secret; she pretended for a moment that Dean was still alive, and it was him and Sam who had her captured and not the two men who haunted her nightmares.

When the pain in her head was more manageable, she attempted to look up with squinted eyes. The moment made her wince when the pounding pain in her head amplified and pulsed in her ears – it was almost like she could hear it, it ached that bad.

She noticed that she was alone; not a bad start. And she seemed to be in some kinda of…well, she wasn't sure how to explain it but the most similar thing she could think of was an old world war bunker.

The roof was curved with metal ridged indents. The walls were covered in the same kind of material and lined with metal shelves. It was pretty bare other than a table which sat in front of her and a chair opposite; oh, and the old pin-ups on the walls.

She glanced down at her hands and noticed that they were covered by some kind of leather straps, similar to the ones that Bobby's chair had in his basement. They were done up tightly, to the point where her hands almost felt numb due to the lack of circulation.

She wiggled her feet the best she could; they were in exactly the same state. Give it a while and she was sure that she would have pins and needles.

Glancing around, she looked desperately for anything that could possible help her in this situation but came up short; it's not like she could pick up the table with her mind and use the legs to lock-pick her binds, or whatever.

With a heavy sigh, she slumped, defeated, "Crap."

ACDC blasted through the car, vibrating their seats and eardrums as Dean tapped his hands against the steering wheel in sync with the beat. He mimed the words dramatically, his mouth wide and face full off over-the-top passion.

Next to him, Sam shook his head and continued to search the internet for a case using his phone. The connection wasn't great with them being on the move, and driving down the back roads, but it was better than nothing.

" _Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck, Thunderstruck_ ," Dean sang without a care in the word. " _It's alright, we're doin' fine-"_

Sam couldn't take anymore and reached forward to switch off the cassette. He sighed happily when silence filled the car and tried his hardest to ignore Dean's glare which was burning a hole in the side of his head.

"Dude," Dean dead-panned in a tone of voice which screamed,  _'I seriously cannot believe you just did that'_. "What. The. Hell."

"There's only so much, Dean." Sam replied simply, the only visible part of him in the night was his face which was lit up by his phone screen.

"You suck." Dean retorted and decided to stick with using his fingers on the steering wheel as his source of music. He tapped them and hummed the rest of the song in his head.

Sam saw his phone start to ring before he heard it. Bobby's name flashed across the screen and Sam answered it, bringing his phone to his ear. "Hey, Bobby."

Dean looked over at him surprised, not having heard the phone ring.

" _Boy…_ " he hesitated for a moment.  _"I've got some news."_

Sam frowned, not liking the sound of that or the tone of voice he was using. "What's going on, Bobby?"

That concerned Dean and he glanced over at Sam, mouthing, ' _What's up?'_

Sam shook his head and mouthed back,  _'Dunno.'_

" _I know a hunter who knows a hunter, and…"_  he paused, sighed and continued,  _"Rumor has it, Kerry O'Conner's been caught."_

Sam's mouth fell open as Bobby words registered. "I, uh, I don't know what to say," he said eventually, earning a nudge off of Dean, who wanted to know what was going on. Sam ignored him though, not knowing how to tell Dean yet. "Are you sure, Bobby?"

" _Think so. Hunters don't tend to gossip like ol' ladies son. No reason to lie."_

Sam bit at the inside of his cheek before nodding even though Bobby couldn't see. "Alright. Thanks for letting us know, Bobby."

" _No problem,"_ Bobby told him before adding,  _"Make sure you look after Dean, yeah? I know this'll hit him pretty hard."_

"You know I will, Bobby." With that, they said their goodbyes and Sam remained silent, phone tucked against his bottom lip as he thought about how he would tell Dean.

After a few moments of silence and several glances over at Sam, Dean finally questioned, "Well?"

"It's not good news."

Dean rolled his eyes and waved a hand at him, gesturing for him to speed it up. "C'mon. Spit it out."

Better to rip it off like a Band-Aid. "Those hunters have found Kerry." Silence followed.

Dean's hands tightened on the steering wheel as he tried to understand what Sam was saying. Those hunters – Jack and Paul was it? – had found Kerry, which meant she was probably dead, or dying, and it wouldn't be merciful. He swallowed thickly. "When?" his voice was emotionless, not giving anything away.

"Bobby didn't say." Sam answered softly, eyeing Dean with concern. "Are…you okay, Dean?"

"Peachy, Sam." Dean snapped. He hated it when Sam tried getting him to talk about  _feelings_. Dean didn't do  _feelings._  They got in the way. They distracted you. And worse of all, they hurt like hell.

Sam bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to think about what he could say to comfort his brother. The girl he'd seen a possible future with was most likely dead, or soon to be dead, and even though there's a big possibility than she deserved it because she brought it on herself, it didn't hurt Dean any less.

 _Can't help who you fall for,_ Sam thought to himself.

But that wasn't the problem. There was this…little tickle in the back of Sam's head which had always been there ever since they found out about Kerry's past. He knew that Dean saw it too. Kerry wasn't the type who looked like a killer. She goes out of her way to save people. Hell, she saved Sam. That's not exactly killing material.

Not only that, Sam felt like he was missing something. Well, he  _knew_  he was missing something. Kerry left out a big part of her story; she wouldn't tell them  _why_  she did it, only that she did, and by the look on her face, it haunted her.

Could she have some sort of serious mental illness which makes her snap? Could she have somehow have been possessed, even though she had an anti-possession tattoo.

He wasn't sure. But he knew that he needed to figure it out before it was too late, if it wasn't already.

"I'm gonna call Bobby. See when they found her." Sam mumbled, dialing the number he needed and bringing the phone back to his ear.

He would start there and if there was a chance that she was still alive, they'd work on finding out what exactly happened all those years ago.


	3. Clues

Kerry tried to keep her breathing calm when the door at the end of the room opened. She knew who it would be, and immediately her heart started beating frantically. She tried her hardest not to let it show; to not give them the satisfaction.

A single pair of footsteps approached but she refused to look up. She wasn't ready to see whoever it was yet. She wasn't sure she'd be able to contain herself if she did. Her emotions were already too close to the surface.

A part of her was still in shock, unable to absorb the fact that she'd been found; she was captured; she had no escape; no one was going to save her; she was well and truly fucked.

She just tried to remember that it would be over soon – well, maybe not  _soon_  but it would be over at  _some point_  – and when it was, hopefully she would be reunited with Dean again.

She could dream anyway.

"Kerry, Kerry, Kerry…" the feet stopped in front of her and she recognized the voice as Pete. "We've waited a long time for this moment. What's it been? Three years now?"

 _Yep_ , she mentally agreed with him. She had been running from them for a year when she first met Sam and Dean. Around a year and a half later, she found out that Dean was dead, and it had been four months since she visited his grave. A pang went through her heart.

"It was almost tempting to give up," he admitted, sound almost guilty at the idea. She still didn't look up at him. "But then we kept getting closer and closer…and there was no way I wasn't gonna let you go without a fight." A rough hand reached down, gripped her chin and forced her gaze to meet his. "I made the right choice, huh?"

She repressed a shiver at his touch and tried to ignore the way her stomach churned violently. She wished she could tell him that  _no, you made the wrong choice_  'cause she had people who'd save her and he'd regret the day him and his friends ever laid a finger on her but she couldn't, so she stayed silent.

"Not gonna speak?" he pouted dramatically, his hand changing position so he could rub a thumb over her lips. "You should. 'Cause we might end up cuttin' out your pretty little tongue so you should do it while you still can, sweetcheeks."

She felt sick from both his words and his touch. The bottom of her mouth was starting to go dry, letting her know that she was only a few moments away from chucking up her stomach content.

She still didn't speak.

"C'mon," he urged her softly. "You have to admit, it was a pretty good night, huh?"

Her head turned to the side, not wanting to throw up down her clothes, as bile burned it's way up her throat and out of her mouth. Her stomach cramped with every contraction as she continued to puke onto the floor.

He pulled away quickly, looking disgusted at the action. "Gross, bitch," he muttered under his breath.

When it finally stopped coming, she tried her hardest to catch her breath and leaned back against the chair, eyes closed. She didn't want to see him, fearing that she'd vomit again.

His voice was angry when he spoke again, "My touch make you sick, huh?" he questioned darkly. "Fuck you, bitch," he growled before suddenly he moved forward and there was a sharp pain in her arm.

She screamed at the shock, having not expected it and her eyes flew open. He had a knife in his hand, which was currently being pushed into the flesh of her arm slowly.  _Stop_ , she felt like screaming, the word on the tip of her tongue and trying to force it's way out of her lips but she pushed it back; it wouldn't do any good, she knew from experience. It would only please him.

Forcing her lips together tightly, she tried to stop any sound escaping as he continued to push the blade into her skin. This was only the beginning, she knew, and it was only gonna get a helluva a lot worse.

Since coming back from hell, Dean seemed to have a hard time telling the difference between what was real and what wasn't. But, hey, reliving tormenting nightmares of your life-time in hell could do that to a man.

After particularly bad dreams, Sam would wake up and find Dean making his way into the bathroom. Soon after, the water would run in the shower. Sam knew that Dean didn't even bother to undress himself because of the soaking wet clothes he'd find on the floor the next morning.

It was a way of waking himself up completely, Sam knew. It was a way for him to be brought away from his nightmares quicker. It was a way to remind himself that he was no longer there, in the burning heat, being tortured without a break.

After certain hunts though, Dean would sleep in the bath. It was like he knew what would trigger the nightmares, and this way, he would have access to the cold water quicker.

Which was why, when they entered their latest motel room, Sam wasn't surprised when Dean locked himself in the bathroom with a bottle of whiskey he thought Sam didn't know about.

Sam only shook his head with a sigh and placed their bags on the bed. Dean must be thinking that he was gonna have nightmares after hearing the news of Kerry. And Sammy couldn't blame him.

Things  _still_  didn't add up to Sam though. Bobby said that she'd only been taken the night before but no one knew where they were, or if she was dead already. Sam just wished that she'd told them her story so that maybe they'd have been able to find a reason, even the smallest one, to have been able to save her.

He faintly remembered when he had to stitch her up after the hunt.

_Sam pulled her top up, revealing her injuries. "S'gonna sting," he muttered under his breath before he started gently rubbing the cream onto her wounds. Usually they just used alcohol but Kerry had the real deal in her bag so they used that instead. It was silent for the next few moments and Sam couldn't help the way his eyes kept glancing at the scar which lined her middle back. "Where'd you get it?" he questioned, knowing that she'd know what he meant._

_She was silent for a moment. "A hunt. Scratched by a Wendigo."_

_Sam raised his eyebrows disbelievingly although she didn't see it. "Really?" he questioned, his voice casual. "'Cause it looks like a knife wound to me," eyeing the back of her head like he could read her expression, he continued, "Then again, what would I know? I've only been a hunter my whole life."_

_She sagged in defeat."'Bout a year ago," she spoke quietly, her fingers twisting in the sheets. "At some stupid bar fight."_

A year ago…he thought to himself, running a hand throw his hair and frowning. At that moment in time, a year ago would have been when she'd killed those hunters. More than likely, she'd received that scar from them.

Did it have any meaning? He wasn't sure. Could they have attacked her? It could mean that but it also could just mean that they'd managed to get a shot in while defending themselves.

For a moment, Sam scoffed. He found it hard to believe that they were all taken down by a small girl. Sure, she could fight – had landed Dean on his ass quicker than they could blink – but that many men,  _hunters,_  were a lot stronger than her.

Wouldn't they have been able to hold her down?

At that, another memory occurred to him; the one where Dean used his body to protect Kerry from the creature they'd been hunt.

_Kerrys panic kicked in when Deans body pressed against her own, pinning her to the ground. "Dean you have to get up," she told him as calmly as she could, her eyes squeezing shut as memories filled her head. "Please." She added in a pathetic whisper._

_Her tone of voice confused him and he pulled himself up onto his knees. "You...alright? He questioned hesitantly as he watched her sit up and take a deep breath._

_She nodded. "Just some guy got a bit handsy with me last year," she swallowed thickly, recalling the memory. "Since then I'm a bit wearily about...you know."_

"She's weary around men," Sam murmured to himself, not realising that he'd sat down on the motel bed as he ran a finger over his lips in thought. "So…she kills these guys and then that makes her afraid of men?" this was confusing, even for him.

He was trying to paint a picture in his head. So far he only had what she'd told them at Bobby's and the small snippets of conversation they'd had that he wasn't even sure was relevant.

That's assuming that she'd lied about a guy getting handsy with her, although he wasn't sure why she'd do that.

What if she wasn't lying and it all happened in the same night? Her small flinches whenever a man made a sudden move towards her couldn't be faked. No one was that good of an actress.

"What if she attacked them in self-defense," he muttered to himself, hope filling his body. Of course he hadn't wanted her to be attacked but even if there was the smallest possibility that it was true, that she wasn't a cold bloodied killer, it gave Sam and Dean enough of a reason to save her ass.

Nodding to himself, he stood up and headed towards the bathroom. "I've gotta talk to Dean."


	4. Pain

Kerry wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd been captured.

It felt like it had been days; months; or even years. Although the rational side of her knew that it couldn't have been possible and she most likely had only been strapped to the chair for around a day.

It made her whimper, wondering why time seemed to be purposely slowed down while she prayed for death. How much longer was it going to take? If they kept her here for a few days, would it feel like three or four years?

The thought was interrupted by another punch to her gut; she couldn't even make a sound of pain as all the air was forced from her lungs, making it hard to even whimper. Desperately, she tried to get it back, as if it would somehow help ease the pain.

By now, she must have had at least a few bruised – maybe even broken – ribs. Her arm was a bloody mess; Pete'd had fun carving and slicing away at it. The thick red liquid seemed to seep from every hair follicle, making it hard for her to identify which wound was actually bleeding.

Her legs were bruised from kicks and there was a cut on her forehead from a baseball bat they'd decided to hit her with. It had knocked her out, but they hadn't let her stay out for long.

Yep,  _they_. Jacob had decided to join Pete in this little game.

Her lungs wheezed as she tried drawing the air back into her lungs and she found herself coughing.

Her body ached all over, even her back which hadn't been touched by them. Yet, anyway. The chair she was sitting on wasn't exactly the most comfortable and her back was starting to hurt from the hardness of it.

Even her ass was suffering. Although she supposed it could be worse, 'cause her ass no longer ached like it had done a few hours ago. Instead it was numb, something she wished the rest of her body felt like.

"Had enough yet?" Jacob taunted evilly.

She didn't respond.

So Pete decided to stick a knife straight through her leg.

Her mouth and eyes were wide as she screamed and whimpered, the pain in her thigh a white-hot sensation. Tears slipped from her eyes as she screwed them shut and gritted her teeth, whimpering as she tried to hold back.

 _Don't give into them. Don't give into them. Don't give into them…_ she chanted again and again in her head.

 _It'll be over soon,_  the thought of death was a terrifying relief.  _Just hang in there, Kerry._

Deans face was unreadable as Sam told him his theory. It almost looked like Dean wanted to believe that it was possible but found himself reluctant to believe it because he didn't know if it could be possible, or whether he just wanted it to be.

Then he found himself uncaring. It was a small possibility but that was all he needed; it gave him a reason to try and save her.

"Alright," Dean stood up and rubbed his hands together. "I'm in. Where'd we start?"

Sam was quiet for a moment as he thought. "We could try Bobby?" he suggested. There was another thing they could try but he knew Dean would be extremely pissed at him for mentioning it. So he would save it for last.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." He agreed.

" _Sorry, boys, I haven't heard squat."_  Bobby told them, sounding frustrated that he couldn't give them better news but there was also a hint of worry there.  _"Are you two sure that this is a good idea? I know you want to believe but-"_

"But what Bobby?" Dean questioned roughly from his spot where he leaned against the motel wall, arms folded over his chest as he spoke to Bobby who was sat on the motel table on loud-speaker. "But we're graspin' at straws? You think we don't know it?"

" _Son-"_

"No," Dean interrupted angrily while Sam sat at the table awkwardly as they argued. "If there's a chance – the  _tiniest_  – chance that what Sam says is true, you can betcha ass that I'm gonna try and save her."

Bobby exhaled heavily.  _"You really fell for this girl, huh, boy?"_

"No," Dean denied immediately, his expression not giving anything away. "She saved our asses. Saved Sammy's ass. It's time we return the favour."

Sam, of course, knew that there was more to it than that but he didn't say anything. Dean was very closed off when it came to his feelings. It was like trying to draw blood from a stone more times than not.

" _Mmm-hmm."_  Bobby replied unbelievingly, making Dean's nostrils flare in frustration.

"Thanks, Bobby," Sam quickly spoke up before they could start arguing again. "I've got another idea. Give us a call if you hear anything though, yeah?"

" _Will do. Take care of yourselves, ya hear? Don't go gettin' your asses killed."_  His voice broke slightly.  _"We only jus' got you back, boy. Don't let us lose you again."_

Dean's face softened. He knew Bobby wasn't the lovey-dovey type which meant Bobby was seriously worried that something bad was going to happen for him to talk like that. "Don't worry, Bobby," Dean told him softly. "We'll be fine."

Bobby's voice immediately hardened as if nothing had happened and he quickly mumbled a  _"Whatever."_  Before hanging up.

The boys were silent for a moment before Dean questioned Sam, "So? What's your plan B?" he frowned slightly when he saw the reluctant look on Sam's face. "Sam…"

Sam spoke up quickly. "Ruby." He said before clearing his throat and glancing around the room. "I say we get Ruby."

Dean inhaled sharply and pushed himself away from the wall where he paced the room, running a hand down his face before turning to Sam. "Ruby?" he repeated almost unbelievingly. "You trust me to be in the same room as her without sendin' that black-eyed bitch back to hell?"

Sam winced. He knew the suggestion wasn't going to go down well. "Yeah," he said more strongly, forcing himself to look Dean in the eye so his point stuck: "'Cause you do that, you lose our only chance of finding Kerry."

Dean's nostrils flared, knowing that Sam was telling the truth and he hated it. Running his tongue along his bottom lip, he nodded reluctantly. "Fine," he agreed roughly. "We'll use Ruby. But once Kerry's safe? All bets are off." He warned before heading to the bathroom and slamming the door.

Sam let out a breath. He wouldn't worry about Ruby's safety; Ruby was smart enough to know that once her use had run out, all bets were off.

"Ruby," he spoke into the room. "I need you." The words echoed around the room and he bit the inside of his cheek, hard.

He hoped that she wasn't planning one of her games where she disappeared when he needed her the most. She'd done it before, to prove a point to him, that  _he_  needed her. And he got the message loud and clear but now with Dean in the picture and pissed as hell, he wasn't sure where that left him and her.

"Sam." Ruby's voice appeared as a breathless whisper next to his ear, making him jump and her smirk. "What'd you need me for?"

He turned to face her. "I need you to find someone for me."

"Not a girl, I hope," she pouted, leaning down to his level and giving Sam a nice view down her shirt. "I might get jealous." She smirked, letting him know that she was just playing.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, a girl.  _Dean's_  girl." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to make sure she knew that. They weren't dating…they were just kind of friends with benefits. "She's in trouble." He paused. "Don't tell Dean I said it's his girl. I mean, it kind of is but he's in denial and-"

She stood up straight, her face unamused as she quirked her eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. She cut him off. "And why should I do Dean a favour?" she questioned him seriously. "He wants my head on a plate."

"Do it for me," Sam bargained with her. " _I'm_  asking you to do it. And anyway, it will look good on your part." He thought he would add in.

She thought about it for a moment, staring into his eyes.

"Please?" Sam pushed.

She sighed and dropped her hands to the side. "Your damn puppy-eyes." She muttered under her breath. "Yes, fine, I'll do it."

Sam released a breath and gave her a relieved smile. "Thank you, Ruby." He knew she wasn't like other demons. She was something special.


	5. Answers

"This is the best way," Ruby told them, lighting the candles which sat around the board on the table. "They'll be able to show us the truth and her location."

Dean looked skeptical. "I don't like it," he said. "This crap is for kids and high teenagers."

"Just give it a chance, Dean," Sam told him.

"Alright, it's ready." Ruby announced.

They all took a seat around the table and Ruby held out her hands.

Dean looked at her almost disgusted at the idea of touching her and Sam rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Seriously, Dean?" Sam shook his head, placing his hand in Ruby's and his other hand in Deans.

"I don't have cooties." Ruby told him in a annoyed voice.

"Yeah, right." Dean mumbled.

"If you don't want to do this then fine-" she went to retract her hand when Dean reluctantly grabbed it and held it a little too lightly. "Um, ow." She said loudly, giving Dean an evil eye.

Dean plastered a fake smile on his face and let his tight grip go. "Sorry." He said, although he didn't sound at all like he meant it.

"Whatever." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Now, close your eyes and let me do my thing." She also closed her eyes, and once the boys had, she started chanted.

To Dean, It kind of reminded him of the ritual Pamela did but only more…demonic. Sam also thought the same thing.

After a few minutes of chanting in Latin, Ruby finally switched back to English. "I've found one." She spoke with her eyes still closed.

Dean peered one eye open at her before realizing that everyone else still hadn't opened their eyes and he quickly closed it again. "Found what?" he questioned.

"A spirit who saw what happened."

Dean tensed at that, wondering if he really wanted to know. The idea that Kerry was a cold blooded murderer was a hard pill to swallow, and it would mean that they didn't have a reason to save her. But the idea of her being attacked and having to do it in self-defence saddened him. She didn't deserve that.

"Well?" Dean questioned after moment of silence. Do it like a Band-Aid and get it over and done with.

Ruby's voice was quiet when she spoke. "See for yourself."

And suddenly, all three of them was thrown into the past as they watched the scene unfold through the spirits eyes.

" _You alright, Dad?" A younger version of Kerry questioned as she sat on the side of the motel bed where an older man laid, looking pretty beaten up._

" _Yeah, babe, I'm good." He responded to her with a small smile. It was easy to see from the light in his eyes when he looked at her that he was proud of his daughter. "Get me a beer?"_

_She rolled her eyes with a loving smile. "You shouldn't mix alcohol with pain meds." She spoke as if she'd said it a million times._

_The man chuckled. "Alcohol is my pain meds."_

_The scene jumped forward as if someone had hit the fast-forward button._

_For a moment, there was multiple hunters, all men, laughing and joking with Kerry and her Dad as they drank from their beer bottles. One of them eyed Kerry with a hungry look._

" _You know," he spoke casually, licking his lips as his eyes kept shifting over to Kerry. "Your daughters real beautiful, Jeff."_

_Jeff laughed with a nod. "Hell yeah, she is. Just like her mother." He glanced over at Kerry proudly, who looked uncomfortable at the other hunter's hungry gaze but her Dad didn't seem to notice. "Been fighting the boys off since Kindergarten."_

_Fast forward once again, the scene was hazy but it was clear to Sam, Dean and Ruby what was happening._

_Kerry was screaming as the male hunters tried to hold her still. She had a knife and managed to stab one of them in the stomach while kicking another one in the family jewels. She fought with everything in her as one of them behind her screamed a man's name before pushing Kerry angrily._

_The shove forced her forward, causing the knife to accidentally slip into another hunters chest, straight through his heart. She looked shocked but not upset as she turned, knife held up as she attempted to defend herself against the last two hunters._

_On the floor behind her, her Dad was gurgling on his own blood, weakly reaching out towards his daughter who he was unable to help._

_The scene disappeared once again, but instead of fast-forwarding, it went backwards, to moments just before the attack._

_One of the men stood up and headed over to Kerry, the same man who'd been eying her hungrily moments before. He grabbed the back of her head and forced his lips onto hers._

_She tried shoving him away but suddenly another pair of hands were on her and she grabbed the knife which was strapped to her knife._

_Behind her, her Dad struggled to his feet despite his injuries, yelling and cursing at the men. He attempted to pull the guys off her when a knife entered his stomach._

_One of the men had grabbed her hand and forced the knife into his belly, forcing her to kill him._

_She could only look on as he fell to the floor and then, overcome with rage, she lashed out at the men, stabbing one of them in the stomach as she screamed._

_Fast forward once more, she was a bloodied mess as she backed herself into a corner, holding up the knife in her hand threateningly. The last two men were covered in slash wounds and were breathing heavily. She didn't back down. Not once._

" _C'mon, Jacob," one of the men panted. "All that screaming's gonna have drawn attention. We need to get the hell outta here."_

_Jacob nodded, breathing harshly as they turned and left the motel room._

_Kerry held the knife to her chest as she stared absently. It took her several moments before she even moved, her eyes shifting to her Father's still form._

_She swallowing thickly and took a step towards him. "Daddy?" she whispered pathetically, dropping the knife and falling to her knees beside him._

_His eyes opened briefly and he gave her a small, proud smile before his body went completely limp._

_Her bottom lip trembled and she laid her head on his chest where she cried._

The room was silent as they were brought out of the memory. Sam and Dean's face were full of both anger and guilt. They'd treated her like a criminal when she'd been the victim. Of course, they hadn't known that but it didn't make them feel any less guilty.

Dean's voice was murderous when he spoke. "Tell me where to find them." He demanded.

Dean sped down the road, way over the speed limit, as they headed towards the location Ruby had given them.

"I'm gonna kill 'em, Sammy," Dean promised with a hard voice. "I'm gonna kill 'em for what they did to her."

"I know, Dean," Sam's voice was dark. Kerry was like a little sister to him and the news had hit him just as hard as it had Dean. "I'm gonna be right there with you."

Dean nodded once, a silent thank you for the support as he pressed his foot down even harder, speeding up the car.

At this rate they'd be there in an hour but for Dean, it couldn't come quick enough.


	6. Not dead

Dean and Sam moved in-sync as they sneaked up behind the hunters, who were laughing as they stood at a table, their backs to the Winchesters as they picked up random weapons and showed them to each other.

From the words they were speaking, it sounded like they were trying to pick the weapon which would be best to kill Kerry with.

Sam and Dean exchanged looks before nodding at each other and lifting up the butts of their guns and bringing them down onto Pete and Jacob's head.

They fell to the floor, knocked out cold. Dean stared down at them darkly.

"Sammy, gimme the rope." He ordered.

Sam obeyed silently.

The pounding in Kerry's head felt like someone was using her skull as a drum kit, and the ache in her body felt like every injury she'd ever had combined together and multiplied by ten.

She was a state, she knew without looking in a mirror. Although she figured the only women who could still look hot after – what? Two days for torture? – was Scarlett Johnasson. The thought made Kerry smile slightly. If she had a girl crush, it would totally be Scarlett.

Her hair was damp and her cheeks felt weird from all the dried tears. The glassy look in her eyes remained and if she spoke, she would probably sound like she had a really bad cold.

Could things get much worse? She wasn't sure. At this point the worst thing that could probably happen was death, which was something she welcomed with open arms. Or they could hurt her some more –  _that_  would probably be the worst thing.

As her head filled with random thoughts; thoughts that kept her busy and helped keep her calm, the door opened and even though her head began to race violently as if it was trying to break through her chest and escape, she remained in the same position – head down, hair curtaining her from their view and fingers gripping the arm of the chair.

"Kerry?" A male voice spoke quietly, sounding pained, making her head snap up and eyes widen in shock.

Well shit; she hadn't been expecting that.

"Dean." She breathed so quietly her lips barely moved. Her throat tightened, tears building once more as her eyes travelled up and down his body. She froze when she spotted the knife in his hands.

She couldn't quite understand what was going on; Dean was meant to be dead, but here he was, standing in front of her with a knife which seemed to sparkle in the bad light.

She had been wrong before; Dean being the one to end her life was definitely the worst thing that could happen to her.

Pete and Jacob must have gotten a shape shifter and made it turn into Dean, it was the only explanation. She briefly wondered what the shifter got out of it – maybe she'd killed someone it had loved at one point?

Still, it was an extreme shock to her system to see Dean, handsome as ever, standing in front of her, even if it wasn't  _really_  him.

She swallowed thickly at the pained look in his eyes as he examined her form, taking in her injuries. It was a very good actor, she'd give it that much.

"Jesus, Kerry." It choked out, the sound of  _Dean's_  voice making her eyes close. For a moment, she pretended that it was  _him_ , and he was here to rescue her instead of kill her. That he wasn't really dead.

 _I'll be seeing you soon anyway,_  she thought to herself. She wasn't sure if it would be in heaven. She wasn't sure if she'd even make it in to heaven, or if heaven even existed. Could she meet him again in hell? Both of them as demons? Fuck, wouldn't  _that_  be an interesting turn of events?

Breathing in a shaky breath, she straightened her back, even though it hurt to do so. She would face death. She wouldn't hide. She would face it head on. It was what her father had always taught her.

"Here to kill me?" her question sounded strong even though her voice was weak as it echoed around the room. Sitting up straight made her back hurt, which made her injuries feel worse but she forced herself to keep it up. She could do it. It would only be for a few more moments.

_Until I die._

_Until he kills me._

His face scrunched up as if the idea repulsed him – as if he was disgusted that she'd even think that of him. "What? Kerry, no." he shook his head and started to approach her, only stopping when he noticed the way she pushed herself against the back of the chair, trying to shift away from him. "Kerry," he spoke slowly, holding up his hands. "I ain't here to hurt you."

She spat an angry laugh. "Bullshit." She said in reply, wishing she could wipe away the fallen tear which travelled down her cheek. She sniffed and although she tried to hold it back, she couldn't help but question, "Why him?" as her eyes fell shut.

He look at her confused. "Huh?"

"Why him?" she repeated, swallowing thickly. "Why Dean? Why not someone else?"  _Like Dad?_  That's the only part which didn't make sense. She'd probably have cried like a little baby if her Dad was the one in front of her. She'd always been so scared of him when she got told off – from a kid to adulthood, that fear never quite went away. So why didn't they use that against her if they wanted a reaction? Or maybe her reaction to seeing Dean against was enough?

When he continued to look at her like she was mad, she rolled her eyes and told him, "You're a shifter. I know you are." She smiled sarcastically, the words breaking her heart before they even left her mouth: "Dean Winchester is dead. Or didn't you get the memo?"

His mouth formed a 'o' and using his empty hand, he scratched the back of his neck. "Right. I forgot about that." He muttered around his breath before his eyes went wide and he shook his head frantically. "N-no! Not about him being  _dead_  'cause I'm not a shifter. I meant-" he sighed, looking worried as he tried to find the right words. "I came back."

She eyed him sceptically. "Mm-hmm." She replied, unconvinced.

"I did!" his arms lifted as he tried to convince her. "I know it sounds crazy – hell, I'm not sure I even believe it – but I was saved…by an angel."

Her forehead creased and she stared at him as if saying ' _Am I really supposed to believe that'._ Part of her wanted to laugh, realizing that they were really having this conversation while she was all beat to hell and waiting for him to kill her at any moment. Not even her death could be normal.

"It happened about a week ago." He continued, only growing more irritated by her expression. "Look." He licked his lips and brought up the knife to his arm where his cut from proving his identity to Bobby was barely healing. He sliced what would be a new scar next to it, grimacing at the sting. "See? Silver. Not a shifter." He smiled weakly.

Her mouth fell open slightly as she tried absorbing the information. Silver knife. Shapeshifter skin. Should burn; didn't burn. Not a shifter? She didn't know of any other creature which could steal someones appearance but that didn't mean that they didn't exist. "I…" she trailed off, not knowing how to respond.

"I'm not a revenant either." He told her calmly, trying his hardest to show her how truthful he was being.

She'd never heard an 'revenant', and she bit at her lip. "How do I know that was really a silver knife?" she pointed out, her heart skipping a beat at the idea that it really was him.

Dean sighed heavily and walked towards her, ignoring the way her body stiffened. He knelt down, anger bubbling in his veins at the sight of her wounds as he used to knife to cut through her binds.

She was so sure that the knife was heading for her skin so when he cut her free, she wasn't sure how to react.

Should she run?

Punch him?

Hear him out?

Could Dean Winchester really have risen from the grave?

_If anyone could do it, it would be him._

As soon as she was free, he flipped the knife round in his hand so he was pinching the blade between his fingers and the handle was pointing at her.

Her arms throbbed but she reached forward and grabbed it, eyes not moving from his as if she would be able to see his next move in them.

Once the weapon was firmly in her grasp, he finally stood up and offered her his hand.

Her mind was running a million miles per hour and she couldn't make sense of anything. She was too tired, too emotionally and physically exhausted.

And she decided that she didn't care if this was some trick; if it was, and she died, at least she would be free from this torment.

Her fingers shook as she reached her spare hand towards him. His hands gripped hers and he gentle pulled her up, one arm going around her waist when she wobbled.

"It's alright. I gotcha." he murmured to her, his arm remaining around her waist while the other gently touched her shoulder. "Jesus, sweetheart, you look like hell." He smiled sadly.

She gave him a tired smile in return, and although he was trying to tease and joke, she could see the anger, pain and guilt swirling in his green eyes.

If it was a shifter(or something else), it was a  _hell_   _of_ an actor.

"Let's get you outta here, yeah?" he suggested, supporting her as they headed towards the door.

Too tired to respond, she rested her head against his arm so he could feel her nod in reply.


	7. Why?

"Sorry." Sam muttered when he accidentally put too much pressure against her arm wound while he was apply the gauze.

Kerry winced but reassured him that it was fine, "It's okay."

She was sitting in the back seat of the impala, her legs hanging outside of the car while Sam knelt down in front of her, treating her wounds.

They had offered to take her to the hospital but she couldn't be bothered with the fuss. Plus, she knew her injuries weren't life threatening so it seemed pretty pointless.

Once Dean had picked her up from the chair, he'd taken her to Sam and told Sam to look after her.

" _I have somethin' to deal with."_  Dean had said when Sam gave him a confused look.

Sam had only nodded, his expression turning to understanding before he was telling Kerry that he was glad she was okay and guiding her outside to the Impala.

She still wasn't sure  _why_  they were here; it was hard enough to accept the fact that Dean  _wasn't_  dead(and had been pulled out of hell by angels) while also trying to accept the fact that  _they had saved her._

They had searched for  _her_. They had gone out of their way to find  _her_. To help  _her_.

"Why?" she blurted out, voicing her thought.

Sam frowned and glanced up at her as he continued to bandage her arm; he'd already done the rest of her and it was the last wound left to treat. "Why what?"

"Why did you come after me?" it was a simple enough question but she had a feeling the answer wasn't going to be.

Sam was silent, a pensive look upon his face as he finished with the gauze and began to place everything back into the first aid box.

After a moment, he finally answered. "We know it was in self-defence."

Her lips parted and the blood in her veins ran cold. How did he know? Did he know  _everything_? Her mouth was dry and she swallowed nervously before questioning: "How?"

He placed the first aid underneath the seat before standing up and placing his left hand into the front pocket of his Jeans. "Bobby called us. Said that word had gone around that they'd found you." he couldn't think of a better place to start than at the beginning. "So me and Dean did some thinkin', knew something wasn't right."

He licked his lips before continuing. "A few things you'd said stood out to me...and I had this theory. It was a good enough reason for us to try and save you, even if we were grasping at straws."

She couldn't help but ask: "What theory?"

He sighed. "I remember what you said when I saw your scar. Around the same time, you'd told us your Dad had died, and on another occasion, you said that a couple of guys had got handsy with you; it's why you freaked when Dean fell on you when we were hunting that Chupacabra, remember?"

She nodded; she did.

He shrugged. "I just put it all together and thought that maybe, if all those things happened at once, you'd done what you did in self-defence."

 _Christ_ , he was a fucking genius. Why the hell was he a hunter? Shouldn't he be in some fancy ass job with a fucking university degree?

"Wow." she breathed, impressed with his deduction.

"So we knew we had to help. Only problem was, we didn't know where to find you."

"So how did you find me?" she asked him curiously.

"Uh..." he didn't know how she would react if he told her that he was friends with a demon, so he just decided to go with: "A friend helped us. Contacted a few spirits."

 _Huh. Seemed so easy. "A_ ouija board?"

"Kinda."

"And that showed you where I was?" she briefly wondered if they would be able to teach her how to do it. It could come in handy when it came to finding demons and such.

He hesitated for a moment. "That's not all it showed us..." he admitted quietly, sounding sympathetic.

For the second time, her blood ran cold. It didn't take a genius to work out what that meant. "It showed you what happened that day." it wasn't a question; it was a statement and her voice was emotionless as she spoke.

"I'm sorry." he told her sincerely, for both what she had gone through that day and for breaching her privacy.

She threw her head back and groaned. "Oh man." she hadn't wanted them to know, let alone  _see_  what she went through. She didn't want pity, or sympathy, or to be treated like a victim; she gave as good as she got, and  _she_  was the one who came out alive.

But people don't tend to see things like that. They think you're made of glass because someone broke you; they don't see the reality of it. Of how strong the events made you because,  _guess what_ , you lived through it and came out stronger.

She didn't want to be defined by that moment in time; she was so much more than that.

It was why she refused to tell anyone what happened.

"I'm sorry." Sam repeated to her, eyes sad.

" _Don't._ " she told him warningly, giving him the evil eye. "I'm  _fine_. I'm  _okay._  I've gone this long without someone giving me t _hat look_ , and I certainly don't need it now."

The look in Sam's eyes immediately changed from pity to admiration and respect, making her blush slightly and chuckle.

"Better." she told him, feeling rather bashful all of a sudden. "But still... _stop."_

He couldn't help but laugh softly and shake his head. "You're something else."  _I can see why Dean likes you_ , he almost added but managed to bite his tongue.

Dean, inside of the building, spent the next hour slicing, and carving, and repeating every damn injury he'd seen on Kerry's body, onto the men who tortured her.

"You know, I've been to hell." he mentioned casually, running the tip of his finger up and down the smooth metal of his blade. His eyes were dangerously dark as he embraced the anger inside of him and used it. "Might of heard of me. Dean Winchester; ring any bells?"

Underneath their blood stained skin, eyes widened.

"Yep. And while I was down there, I had a teacher..." he circled them, making them feel like he was the hunter and they were his prey. "Alistair. Nasty guy...make the monsters we fight everyday look like something outta a Disney movie."

When he found himself in front of them, he stopped again and knelt down so he was eye-level with the two tied up men. "He taught me how to torture a man; how to keep him on the brink of death, how to keep every nerve ending alive, and how to make sure he doesn't die until  _I_  want him to."

He smirked evilly. "I hated him for it...hated the things he taught me and made me do...but right now-" he leaned in close and whispered, "I'm _grateful_. Why? Because I can use every last technique on you're pathetic little bodies and make you scream in agony, begging me to stop."

His nostrils flared, and if it was even possible, his eyes darkened even more. "I'm gonna make you regret the day you ever laid a finger on her." he touched the tip of the knife onto the pad of Paul's middle finger.

"Thought you could get away with that shit?" Dean shook his head and laughed humourlessly as he slowly began to push the knife into the tip of Paul's finger. Paul screamed in pain.

Dean smiled at the sound. "I bet you didn't see me coming, huh?"

Outside, Kerry wrapped her arms around herself and snuggled into Dean's leather jacket. About ten minutes ago, Sam had headed inside to check on Dean, and Dean had reassured him that everything was okay before giving him his jacket, telling Sam to give it to Kerry.

She was lounging in the back seat, back against the door with her shoes slipped off and feet resting on the seat in front of her, knees bent so she could fit properly.

Sam was in the passengers seat, looking through his phone. Every once in a while, a loud scream would come from inside the building.

Kerry wasn't stupid; she knew that Dean was torturing them. A part of her was flattered that he cared enough to do that for her but another part of her was worried. She hoped that Dean would be okay with what he's done.

Once again, she found her eyes drifting shut. She was tired. Hell, she was  _past_  tired. What did they call it?  _Over-tired_... Whatever that shit was anyway.

She wanted to tell Sam to go and get Dean so they could leave already but she couldn't seem to make her lips move. A part of her wanted to go in there, get her own revenge on them and help Dean torture them but she knew she wouldn't have the stomach for it.

Maybe tomorrow. If they were still alive, anyway.

When her head drifted to her shoulder once more, she didn't bother trying to move it back up. Would napping be such a bad idea anyway? She was with Sam and Dean now; she was safe.

Her lips quirked slightly as she finally allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

 _Safe_.

It had been awhile since she'd known what that felt like.

" _...She okay?.."_

" _...dealt with 'em..."_

" _...Closest motel? We should stop soon..."_

" _...Turn here..."_

" _...I'll get her. You go pay..."_

The string of sentences barely registered to her as she slept through Dean's return, and the car journey to the nearest motel.

She finally woke when a gently hand brushed some hair from her eyes.

"Kerry, sweetheart, gotta wake up now." Dean's soft voice told her, and she was vaguely aware of his presence above her.

Flickering her eyes open, she glanced around her before looking up and coming face-to-face with Dean. He was leaning over her, a concerned look on his face.

"There you are. You feeling alright?" He didn't like the way she was squinting. If she had a headache, it could be because of the injury on her head and while Sam said there was no sign of a concussion, it didn't mean he didn't worry about it.

Her mouth felt dry and she licked her lips before nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay." clearing her throat, she attempted to sit up.

He backed away slightly, giving her more room to move, his hand hanging in the air, ready to help her in case she needed it. "Sammy's getting us a room. You alright to walk?"

"Uh huh. I think so."

He helped her out of the car anyway, one arm around her waist as he took her towards the motel room Sammy was standing at, holding the door open for them.

"Thanks, Sammy." Dean told him when they past. Sam only nodded before heading outside to the car, planning on bringing in their bags.

"Here you go." Dean said as he placed Kerry onto one of the two motel beds, the one furthest away from the door.

"Thanks." she breathed, trying to breath through the pain in her body as she moved. Her ribs ached like a bitch but much to her surprise, they hadn't been broken, Doctor Sammy made sure of it.

She was kind of impressed with herself, really; her ribs must be made of freakin' steel or something.

Dean stood next to the bed, watching as she laid down and got herself comfortable. He looked as if he wanted to fuss over her, which amused her greatly.

"I'm fine, Dean." she told him with a small laugh. "You don't need to...hover."

"I'm not hovering. Who's hovering?" he denied immediately. She gave him a pointed look, and when he realised that he was still standing there, he nodded. "Right." biting his bottom lip, he glanced around the room, eyes landing on the couch. Might as well as go and make his bed for the night. "I'm gonna go...over there."

"Right..." she repeated slowly, not sure whether she still found him amusing, or whether she should be concerned by the way he was acting. Oh well; right now, she was too tired to care.

Resting her head back against the pillow, she let her eyes fall shut once more.


	8. I like how you think

The next morning, Sam had made a food run while Dean packed up their stuff.

Considering that they had only stayed at the motel for the night, they had made a bit of a mess. Then again, they were men and Kerry knew just how messy they could be from hunting with her Dad for years before his death.

"I'll help." Kerry offered, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and wincing when the movement agitated her ribs.

"Nu-huh. You just...relax. I've got this." Dean told her while placing Sam's laptop into it's bag and wrapping the charger up so it didn't get tangled.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm  _fine_." she stressed for what felt like the millionth time.

She found it strange to see him acting this way, especially when she thought he hated her.

Hell, it was strange to just  _see_  him, with him meaning to be dead and all.

But no, an angel pulled him out of hell...

She was still trying to wrap her head around that.

"I visited your grave." she told him before she could stop herself.

Dean paused for a moment. First he looked shocked at the confession before his face turned thoughtful. "Were you...did you leave a burger there? And the whisky?"

She laughed slightly, her head bopping as she nodded. "Uh yeah. It seemed like a nice gesture at the time."

Dean nodded back, looking as if he'd been wondering for a while who had left the gift but hadn't been able to figure it out. Until now, anyway. He chuckled when he heard what she said.

"It was." he told her with a grin. "Just a shame it was mouldy when I pulled myself out of there. Whisky was still good though."

She went to laugh but then his words registered in her head. "You...you pulled yourself out of your own grave?"

The idea of it made her shiver. To do such a thing must have been terrifying, even for Dean Winchester.

He shrugged, acting as if it was no big deal. "Yeah."

"Sorry." she told him, trying not to let her pity show because she knew he wouldn't appreciate it. "That must have sucked."

He only shrugged once more before running his hand over his chin. "You know what sucks?" he laughed bitterly. "How I treated you.  _That_ sucks."

Her gaze softened and she could tell that he'd been beating himself up over it. "You thought I was a murderer. I deserved it."

He snorted, moving onto the next bag to pack. "Bullshit. Anyone can see just by looking at you that you ain't a killer."

"Technically, I am." she responded. "I  _did_  kill those guys."

"In self-defence."

"You didn't know that."

"I should have, though."

She sighed, frustrated. "You shouldn't blame yourself."

He smiled sarcastically. "It's what I do best."

She bit her lip, trying to contain her smile. "Really? I heard there's something else you're best at."

He opened his mouth to respond before he looked taken back at her response. He huffed a laugh before nodding at her, impressed. "Well, that too," he smirked. "but I don't need to tell you that. I think you'll understand it better if I  _show_  you."

She giggled, and just like that, everything was okay again.

They spent the rest of the day travelling to Bobby's, knowing it was the best place for them to rest up until Kerry was better.

As soon as they walked through the door, with her leaning most of her weight on Dean as he supported her, Bobby's guilty eyes found hers and he gave her a single nod, telling her without words that he was sorry.

She just offered him a small smile in return.

They ended up spending a week there. Chilling, relaxing, talking, and even flirting(between her and Dean). It was nice to pretend for a while that the world wasn't full of monsters who needed killing.

Or in Sam and Dean's case, it was nice to pretend that Angels weren't bossing them around like puppets while Lilith tried breaking the seals to Lucifers cage.

When they had finally told her that news(on the second night at Bobby's), she found herself in shock, as much as she hated to admit it.

She was a _hunter_.  _Hunter's_  didn't do 'shock'; they were always prepared, always ready, and never let themselves experience something that could hold them back or put their life in danger.

But no; she had sat there for a full five minutes with her mouth hanging open, wondering if she was still experiencing real life. Maybe she'd died in that room and was now in some weird ass afterlife?

Angels? God?  _The devil?_

Her head hurt.

Of course, after they'd told her and she'd recovered from her 'shock', she stepped up and offered her help.

Dean, of course, immediately shot her down, claiming that it was too dangerous and he'd rather she didn't get involved.

She only rolled her eyes; she couldn't convince him otherwise but if push came to shove, she would be there in a second whether he liked it or not.

By the end of the week, she felt like a new woman. Her cuts were still scabbed and her bruises only hurt when she put pressure on them.

The boys wanted her to stay at Bobbys, to get just that little bit more better before she left but she refused; the only reason she had stayed this long was because the boys were there, and now that they were planning on getting back on the road, she was too.

Bobby was kind enough to offer her a car. It was a nice one. A blood red colour with a classic look to it. She couldn't remember the model or year but from the sound Dean made when he touched the bonnet, it was a good one.

"So," she started, rocking on the balls of her feet as she stood in front of the boys who had just finished packing up the Impala. "You boys be careful, yeah?"

Sam steps forward and gives her a gentle hug. "We will. You do, too." he pulled away and patted her shoulder. "If you need anything, just give us a call."

"You too." she smiled before licking her lips and turning her attention to Dean.

Dean glanced at Sam and flicked his head towards the car, not-so-subtly telling Sam to leave them the hell alone for a moment while they say goodbye.

Sam snorted, amused, before doing as he was told and walking over to the passengers side of the Impala before climbing inside and closing the door.

Dean and Kerry shared a smile before they both laughed awkwardly, not sure what to say to one another.

"You know," Dean spoke up after a moment. "A few days before I kicked it, I tried to find you."

Kerry raised her eyebrows at that. "Really?" she questioned, surprised. He nodded and she asked him: "Why?"

He grinned and chuckled. "'Cause I wanted to bang your brains out."

She threw her head back a laughed; only Dean could be so blunt about it. "Even though you thought I was a killer?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "I was already going to hell, and you're hot, so I thought 'why not?'"

She grinned at him. "I like how you think."

He smirked, before reaching a hand out to her. "C'mere."

Her grin morphed into a shy smile as she found herself in his arms. He was gentle with her, like Sam was, but there was so much more heat behind it when their bodies touched.

She couldn't help but wish her body had been in a better state while they were staying at Bobby's. That way, she might have been able to solve some of their sexual tension.

His full lips met her forehead and his hands slid under her jacket, and shirt, until they found the warm skin of her lower back.

She shivered against him, eyes falling shut and lips parting as she found her head automatically tilting towards his.

The corner of his mouth curled and he pressed his body closer to hers as he lowered his head.

The tip of his nose brushed against the side of hers and then his lips touched the corner of her mouth where he placed a soft kiss.

She swallowed thickly, her breaths increasing. Moving her head to the side, she found his lips and placed a firm kiss upon them.

He kept his left hand on her lower back while his right one came up and gripped the back of her neck, fingers curling in her soft hair.

They gazed at each other for a moment before sharing a smile and kissing once more.

Finally pulling away(she didn't want to but it wasn't exactly a appropriate place), she crossed her arms over her chest and tucked her hands under her armpits, as if the small action would be able to stop her from reaching out, grabbing him and having her way with him.

"It's not a permanent 'goodbye', right?" she couldn't help but ask him, fearing the answer. "You'll keep in touch? And we can help each other with cases and stuff?"

Dean smirked at her and nodded. "You can count on it."


End file.
